ABC can’t get enough of Shonda Rhimes’ Shondaland production house. The network has given a pilot commitment to a currently untitled new legal drama from Shondaland and “Scandal” writer Paul William Davies, which will be set in the Southern District of New York (SDNY) Federal Court, aka “The Mother Court,” and will follow a group of fresh-out-of-law-school lawyers working on both sides – for the defense and the prosecution – as they are handed high-profile and high-stakes cases to tackle; and of course, their personal lives will intersect.

Might this be a planned eventual replacement for “Scandal,” given that the Kerry Washington series may be close to its end (another season or 2, max, as Rhimes has, herself, previously suggested)? We love to speculate here at Shadow & Act.




Davies will pen the script for the new legal drama and executive produce, alongside Shonda Rhimes and her producer partner Betsy Beers.

In addition to “Scandal,” Shondaland currently controls another 4 series at ABC: “Grey’s Anatomy,” “How to Get Away With Murder,” “The Catch,” and the upcoming new addition to the family, “Still Star-Crossed,” which is set to premiere mid-season.

Legal and medical dramas continue to be popular on TV; audiences apparently just can’t get enough of them.